On Thursday night I headed over to Pyramid Atlantic for the Block Printing Happy Hour to print my newly finished linoleum carving. I spent approximately eight hours straight on Thursday finishing the piece I was working on at Arts on Foot, and ten minutes before I had to get in the car I finally finished the last cut. My hand felt like it was on fire, but my favorite part about linoleum printing is the period between finishing the carving and printing, after you have invested so much time but are still waiting to see the results.
Even during the printing process it is still a work in progress, as you carve out a little more here and there, fix little mistakes, and adjust the pressure of the press to get it just right.
I printed fabric for three journals, six tea towels and several packs of cards, but there is definitely more to come from this block! Here are some pictures of the process, from sketches to final product:
So there it is! The much anticipated (mostly by me) new print. Now its back to the sketchbook for the next design!
Even during the printing process it is still a work in progress, as you carve out a little more here and there, fix little mistakes, and adjust the pressure of the press to get it just right.
I printed fabric for three journals, six tea towels and several packs of cards, but there is definitely more to come from this block! Here are some pictures of the process, from sketches to final product:
Linoleum carving creates piles and piles of little linoleum scraps. Someone asked me at a market if I did anything with them, but right now they just go in the trash. Any ideas?
So there it is! The much anticipated (mostly by me) new print. Now its back to the sketchbook for the next design!
Great blog! I've always wanted to block print on fabric but have never braved it. Is there a particular fabric paint that you find works well for this process?
ReplyDeleteThe ink I use is oil based block printing ink made by Speedball. I've tried several different inks, you can get OK results with screen printing ink, but definitely avoid water based block printing ink, as it washes right off. Hope that helps!
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